SAN DIEGO - Students at Coronado Middle School got a real life lesson about the importance of Veterans Day.

On Friday morning, hundreds of students and more than 200 military veterans participated in "Take a Veteran to School Day."

Lt. Commander David Fassil was one of the many men and women who spoke to individual classes during Friday's event.

"We talk about Veterans Day as a day of appreciation, but really it's a day of education as well," Fassil said.

Capturing the attention of 12- and 13-year-olds isn't always easy, but eighth-grader Amanda Ursitti was captivated by what she learned. Ursitti also remembered that some of her classmates won't be able to go home and tell their parents what they learned.

"Some kids at our school do have parents in the military and some of the kids … their parents aren't alive anymore … So Veterans Day is a just a day we can remember all those people and just honor how they helped our country," said Ursitti.

More than 5,000 schools in all 50 states participate.

The festivities started in the classroom, but ended in the sky with several skydivers floating their way down to the football field, each with a military flag.

Each flag waved in the wind for the students to see and remind them of the importance of our local heroes.

If you know a local hero, recognize them in our "Gallery of Heroes" by sending a photo of them to webpics@kgtv.com.

You can view the "Gallery of Heroes" slideshow by clicking here.